Erie
Erie, in many ways, is a big theatrical family, said Chris Temple, spokeswoman for Visit Erie. Many theaters are locally owned, and hundreds of locals make the shows happen.
The city is especially proud of Erie Playhouse, ranked by the American Theatre Association as one of the country’s top 10 community theaters. The playhouse is stepping into its 100th season with the Gershwin musical “Nice Work If You Can Get It,” as well as “Peter and the Starcatcher,” “Kiss Me, Kate,” “One Slight Hitch” and several other productions. Shows come together because of a volunteer board, volunteer ushers and even a volunteer orchestra.
Local actors also make up the casts at Erie’s popular dinner theaters: the Erie Station Dinner Theatre and the Riverside Inn Dinner Theatre.
“Shows at both theaters are really top-notch,” Temple said. “And since the theaters work together, there are no overlapping shows.”
Erie Station focuses almost exclusively on comedy and boasts the nation’s longest-running medieval feast musical comedy, while Riverside Inn focuses on calmer favorites like “Jerry’s Girls” and “Driving Miss Daisy.”
Commissioned by Warner Bros. in 1929, Erie’s grandest theater still bears the famous name. The Warner Theatre is home to the Erie Philharmonic, the Lake Erie Ballet and the Erie Broadway Series, as well as several other shows. Upcoming musicals at the Warner Theatre include “42nd Street” and “Annie.”
Lancaster
The Fulton Theatre in downtown Lancaster has earned a national reputation for Broadway-quality productions on a small-town stage.
“It’s our mini Broadway,” said Deirdre Kozma, spokeswoman for Discover Lancaster. “The productions are absolutely amazing.”
The Fulton stages seven theatrical productions each year, and upcoming shows include “Legally Blonde,” “Sister Act,” “Ghost” and “Footloose.” In the summer, the Fulton offers tours of the building, which has been operating continuously as a theater since 1852. The hourlong tour also includes a behind-the-scenes glimpse into how artists and designers make productions come alive, from sets to sounds to costumes.
A second Lancaster County theater company familiar with Broadway-quality praise is the faith-based Sight and Sound Theatre. The group presents biblical stories through musicals on a grand scale in a state-of-the-art theater. Large casts that include several live animals perform on a 300-foot stage that wraps around three sides of the audience.
“Samson,” which has been in development for three years, premieres in March and will feature an original score and one of the most complex sets in Sight and Sound’s history. The show will run through December 31.
New to downtown Lancaster, just a few blocks from the Fulton, is the town’s hottest spot for live music. Tellus360 is first and foremost an Irish pub run by a crew from Ireland. But within the 8,000-square-foot pub are multiple floors and spaces for live music that don’t interrupt each other. From jazz to rock to Irish bands, Tellus360 hosts it all, sometimes simultaneously.
Larger bands perform in a venue on the second floor that includes a stage that traveled with the Rolling Stones and a sound system from U2’s “Vertigo Tour” put together for Tellus360 by AC/DC’s sound manager.
“We’re pointing groups to Tellus360 because if you’re all about the music, that’s a venue you’re going to enjoy,” Kozma said.
